Create a Monthly Budget Aof income and expenditures, with some money set aside for savings, for your first year out of school. Create variations of this budget to show how much you could save if you cut back on certain expenses, found a roommate, or got a part-time job. Compare costs of meal plan to costs of groceries. Consider how much interest would be earned on savings if $100 saved monthly. Or how much debt paid on student loans or credit card bills. To expand your data set, make a fantasy budget for ten years from now, when you might own a home, owe student loan payments, and have a good salary.
Pretend that you have $20,000 to buy the ultimate computer system with scanner, color printer, lots of software. Use the web to research various products and calculate the costs of different systems. Use plenty of formulas as you analyze costs and compare prices.
Compare prices on over a dozen products on lots of different web sites, such as the bookstore amazon.com versus the Barnes & Nobles web site. Calculate cost savings over shopping in local stores. Don't forget to include shipping & handling charges and tax.
Calculate total calories consumed and total exercise with calories burned. Use web research to explore low-fat menus and various exercise programs. Compare calories from a healthy home-cooked meal to a fast food meal.
Imagine the start-up costs for a new business. One student dreamed about a business that would make custom surfboards, so he did web research (and some guessing) on the type of equipment needed, advertising budget, raw materials, labour for artists & other employees, his own salary. The actual data (whether realistic or fantasy) is less important than the technical uses of a variety of formulas, graphs, and formats. You could try to predict what sales would be. You might go any corporate web site and look at the info presented for stockholders. Go to www.microsoft.com -- look at the blue index on the left side. Visit "Company Overview" and "Investor Relations." Check how earnings, investment, and annual report data is presented.
Think creatively about any set of numerical data of personal interest. The responsibilities of looking after a pet might work for you. Use the web to research the price of various kinds of pets, cages, food, vet bills, etc. Use math to compare how fast this pet will grow, how much they cost to feed, and how long they live. Finally, calculate the total estimated cost of a/each pet over its entire expected lifetime. Include charts and pictures of the pet on the spreadsheets. Similarly, a Barbie doll collector might research the cost of rare dolls sold through online auctions and predict the value of her own collection twenty years from now
Investigate a magazine or book which describes sample projects: grade book, stock portfolio, analysis of a car loan, financial forecasting for fantasy business, probability calculations, payroll calculations, multiplication table, club budget, home mortgage costs, lottery odds, "penny-a-day" investment value over time, corporate sales data by geographic region, federal budget breakdowns, university enrolment figures, duplicating corporate annual report, and tracking population statistics. Skimming the textbook might give you some ideas and the textbook exercises can enhance your self-directed learning process.
When preparing your Excel proposal, focus on extremely specific objectives as proof that you explored the Excel online tutorial. Formulas are crucial -- try to anticipate what types of formulas & functions you might need when comparing prices. Even identify the types of graphs/charts you will probably use.
Personal Budget Project
This is an excellent project that teaches how to manage personal spending.
http://www.foothilltech.org/rgeib/techlit1/projects/personalbudget.htm
Aof income and expenditures, with some money set aside for savings, for your first year out of school. Create variations of this budget to show how much you could save if you cut back on certain expenses, found a roommate, or got a part-time job. Compare costs of meal plan to costs of groceries. Consider how much interest would be earned on savings if $100 saved monthly. Or how much debt paid on student loans or credit card bills. To expand your data set, make a fantasy budget for ten years from now, when you might own a home, owe student loan payments, and have a good salary.
When preparing your Excel proposal, focus on extremely specific objectives as proof that you explored the Excel online tutorial. Formulas are crucial -- try to anticipate what types of formulas & functions you might need when comparing prices. Even identify the types of graphs/charts you will probably use.
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